Clinical significance of hepatitis B virus (HBV) precore and core promoter mutations affecting HBV e-antigen expression and their association with liver disease progression / 中国医师杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the association of hepatitis B virus ( HBV) precore ( preC) /C mutations with the pro-gression of liver disease .Methods The HBV genes of 50 chronic hepatitis B , including 30 HBV e-antigen ( HBeAg)-negative and 20 HBeAg-positive patients, were detected with real-time quantification polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the direct sequencing method.Results The mutations T1762/A176, T1766/A1768, A1896 , and the levels of HBV viral loads significantly correlated with the disease progression .The HBeAg-negative patients had a higher frequency of mutations at T 1762/A1764 , T1766/A1768 , and A 1896 relative to HBeAg-positive patients .Conclusions Patients with advanced liver diseases and with HBeAg-negativity possibly had multi-mutations at T1762/A1764, T1766/A1768, and A1896 in HBV genomes.